Chapter 284: Chapter 280: Promising Official Positions
"Shay Cormac, former Grand Knight of the Empire’s Knight Order stationed with the Desert Kingdom troops, your former rank was Lieutenant, am I correct?" Perfikot looked at the slightly disheveled knight before him and asked.
Shay didn’t dare neglect his posture, standing as straight as a soldier, his eyes neither glancing to the sides nor daring to look directly at Perfikot.
Upon hearing Perfikot’s question, he quickly snapped to attention, his heels clicking loudly together, as he replied, "Yes, my Lord Count."
"No need to be too nervous, relax a bit, Mr. Knight, I don’t bite." Perfikot joked, unusually, but then continued, "You said you were kicked out of the army for drunkenly killing the son of your superior, which is why you ended up in the Northern Territory looking for a livelihood.
And before that, you had already been selected for the Empire’s newly forming Steam Knight Order, is that correct?"
For Perfikot, investigating Shay’s background was an almost trivial matter. By the time she decided to meet with Shay, all his background and related information was already laid out before her.
"Yes, my Lord Count! Regarding the incident of accidentally killing..." Shay was only answering, but instinctively wanted to explain, to avoid leaving a bad impression on Perfikot.
However, Perfikot just waved her hand dismissively and said, "No need to explain, with me, victory needs no explanation, and failure allows for none. As long as you can achieve results satisfactory to me, I don’t mind minor flaws or past misdeeds.
That’s all in the past, what’s important is now, do you understand my meaning?"
Perfikot’s meaning was simple; she didn’t mind Shay’s past experiences. It was nothing major to have accidentally killed someone while drunk, and she wasn’t so intolerant as to hold that against him.
In fact, for Perfikot, restoring what Shay lost and resolving the issues with his superior was but a word from her.
But the premise was that Shay demonstrated enough value to warrant Perfikot helping resolve his troubles and concerns.
Currently, as the first unofficial Grand Knight to come to the Northern Territory, Perfikot was willing to extend some goodwill, both as an investment in Shay himself and as a gesture of appreciating talent, akin to spending a fortune on a treasured horse.
For the Northern Territory now, there was a significant gap in talent. She needed more people to voluntarily come to her, not just relying on Robert’s recruitment in Langton, as that was far too inefficient.
To attract talent to come, making sufficient gestures was necessary.
Though in Perfikot’s view, Shay might be worth investing in, he wasn’t so important that she’d focus solely on him.
It could be said that he just happened to arrive first. As the first unofficial Grand Knight in the Northern Territory, Perfikot was willing to offer him some sincerity and treatment beyond what he could demonstrate.
Shay naturally understood, politely expressing his gratitude to Perfikot, while also showing his loyal intent with an excited demeanor, as if swearing allegiance.
Perfikot was satisfied with Shay’s statement but still gave him a stern reminder, "My evaluation standard for talent is never what they say, but what they do. Want to pledge your loyalty to me?
You can, but it’s not done with words; it’s done with action.
I can give you an opportunity, but you only get one chance to prove your loyalty to me."
"Command me, my Lord Count!" Shay lowered his head, knowing that his future wealth and status depended entirely on this gamble.
"Very well, I will give you a group of people, and you will lead them to establish an outpost." Perfikot ordered, speaking slowly so Shay could remember clearly, and also because she was considering what requests to make of Shay: "You have no backup, I can allocate you some resources, but don’t count on them, everything else relies solely on you.
My requirement is that by the end of this year, you must have the outpost functioning self-sufficiently, at the very least able to ensure its good operation without needing my assistance to maintain it.
Besides that, I will give you a blueprint, which you need to organize manpower to build according to the plan.
This matter is not urgent, but you must complete it within the time I specify and meet my standards.
For any difficulties, you can report to my steward; if it’s truly beyond your capabilities, my steward will solve it for you or report it to me.
But I don’t expect to hear frequent requests for help from you, do you understand my meaning?"
The outpost Perfikot instructed Shay to build was envisioned as a shelter, though she didn’t expect Shay to fully construct it outright, as that wasn’t feasible.
Her requirement of Shay was merely to lay the foundation for the shelter’s construction and make the necessary preparations.
Considering Shay was to build an immigration outpost from scratch, Perfikot was inclined to provide him with some assistance, but if Shay asked for help too often, Perfikot wouldn’t consider him a talent worth cultivating.
Shay naturally realized this was a test from Perfikot; if he succeeded, he could earn Perfikot’s favor and rise through the ranks quickly.
But if he failed...
Shay wouldn’t contemplate that possibility; to him, the opportunity was too precious to waste.
He had decided that once settled, he would send a telegram to his brother in Langton, seeking his help and support.
If he could establish himself in the Northern Territory, then the Kuomake family might also leave its mark in the Northern Territory, making this not just his personal affair.
"Understood, my Lord Count! Please look forward to my performance." Shay was confident in his ability, especially when it came to setting up an outpost, given his military experience.
"Good, I like your attitude." Perfikot nodded with satisfaction, then made Shay a promise: "Work hard, and if your achievements satisfy me, a pioneer document will be your deserved reward.
Before that, I’ll give you an honorary title in the White Bear Knight Order, which will ease your work.
Furthermore, if you have colleagues or friends who want to come to the Northern Territory to develop, you can recruit them; any good talent can be recommended to me.
The Northern Territory is large enough, and I won’t be stingy about rewarding talent. Wealth? Title? Or something else? As long as you achieve results that satisfy me, what you stand to gain will exceed your imagination."